bsd

Reference for configuring a BSD workstation 😈

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Quick GUI Setup

Xfce

$ su
$ pkg install xorg
$ echo "exec /usr/local/bin/startxfce4 --with-ck-launch" > /usr/home/username/.xinitrc

# /etc/rc.conf
dbus_enable="YES"
hald_enable="YES"

$ startx

This proivdes general instruction on three popular desktop environments, Gnome, KDE and Xfce
Desktop Environments

Getting Software

pkg

Install pre-compiled binaries

$ pkg update - Update list of packages

$ pkg install <package>

ports

$ portsnap fetch extract - Collects an updated ports tree

$ cd /usr/ports/<category>/<portname> && make install - compile a port

$ make config-recursive - Select config options before building

$ make install - builds port

Configuration Checks & Commands

Checks

$ locale - prints language and encoding configurations

$ cat /dev/sndstat - List sound devices installed. man sound

$ echo "test" > /dev/dsp - will produce sound if drivers are working

Commands

$ pw usermod <username> -G wheel - add user to wheel group required for invoking things like su

$ pw groupshow wheel - list users in group (wheel) man pw

$ service pf start - starts up firewall, configured in /etc/pf.conf

$ pfctl -f /etc/pf.conf - after making rule changes in /etc/pf.conf, pftcl reloads and runs the new configuration and aborts if your ruleset contains an error

mouse

Using moused man moused
These work well for trackpads

# /etc/rc.conf
moused_enable="YES"
moused_flags="F 200 -A 1.0,2.0 -a 0.7 -r high"

From wthin an X11 session: xset m 1/1 1

Sound

/etc/sysctl.conf - Kernel state defaults man sysctl.conf

man pcm

• $ cat /dev/sndstat to review available sound devices. Note which pcm you'd like to use and note it's module number, ex. pcm0.

• in /etc/sysctl.conf set hw.snd.default_unit variable and assign it the value of pcm, ex. hw.snd.default_unit=0

• Enabling the hw.snd.default_auto boolean will automatically assign newly attached devices to hw.snd.default_unit, ex. hw.snd.default_auto=0

Notes

These conf files are geared towards settings up FreeBSD with a desktop environment.